WV Brew

6th rounder RHP Eric Hanhold has signed per Brewers player development. I hadn't seen that before.

Stop the presses! Manatees hit 3 home runs in 3 innings. The Dunedin starter Jairo Labourt matches his season total gopher balls in just 3 innings.

Marauders maul Manatees in series finale June 30, 2015 8:09 PM MST http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/d7/7e/d77e9092cf92631af9e4afb4e879e730.JPG?itok=q1tzjX7j Clint Coulter had a two hit night, including a 2-run double, in the Manatees loss to Bradenton Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography (used with permission) The Brevard County Manatees and Bradenton Marauders concluded their four-game series Tuesday night at McKechnie Field in Bradenton. The Manatees, who won Monday night, could not repeat the feat on this night, losing 12-6. The two teams combined for 32 hits. Right-hander Brandon Woodruff was scheduled to start the game for the Manatees, but was scratched late in favor of Eric Marzec. The Marauders were not fazed by the change, scoring quickly in the bottom of the first. Chris Diaz and Austin Meadows hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. They moved up on a passed ball by Brevard catcher Cameron Garfield. One out later, a single by Erich Weiss gave the home team a 1-0 lead and started a streak of three straight innings that Bradenton would score. Their run in the second inning would come courtesy of a solo home run by Wyatt Mathisen, his first of the season. The Manatees got a run back in the top of the third on a Michael Ratterree sacrifice fly, allowing Chris McFarland to score. McFarland led the inning off with a triple against Marauders starter Cody Dickson. The Marauders scored twice in the third inning, with their first run coming on a fielder’s choice by Harold Ramirez. An RBI double by Reese McGuire accounted for the second run and made it a 4-1 ballgame. The Manatees (2-3, 31-43) made a game of it in the top of the fifth. Clint Coulter started a two out rally with a single to center and went to second on a wild pitch. Garrett Cooper promptly singled him home, making it 4-2. Taylor Brennan was next to the plate and he took Dickson deep for his first home run of the season, tying the score 4-4. The tie didn’t last long, as Bradenton (4-2, 36-40) put four on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Mathisen and Diaz singled around two fly outs. Meadows singled to bring Mathisen in, breaking the tie. An error by Cooper on the play, got a runner to third. That was the end of the night for Marzec, who was replaced by Tyler Spurlin. He hit Barrett Barnes with a pitch to start his night and then gave up a two-run single to Erich Weiss. Ramirez added an RBI single to make it an 8-4 game. Marzec was charged with six earned runs on 11 hits. He walked one and struck out three in 5.2 innings. Things just deteriorated from there, as the Marauders added four more runs in the bottom of the eighth, closing out a 12-run outburst. The Manatees did not go quietly, as they scored twice in the top of the ninth on a two-run double by Coulter, to make it a 12-6 game. For more info: Brevard County @ Bradenton boxscore Bradenton collected 18 hits Tuesday, with Diaz, Meadows and Mathisen each getting three. Six Marauders in all had a multi-hit night. The Manatees had a pretty impressive night as well, compiling 14 hits. Ratterree was the only player to collect three hits in the lineup, but Coulter McFarland and Brennan had two apiece and every starter had at least one. The Manatees will continue their road trip on Wednesday, opening a series at Dunedin. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m. Brevard County Box Score Chris McFarland with a double and a triple. Taylor Brennan got his first home run of the year. Michael Ratterree 3-3 and Clint Coulter with 2 hits including a double. Brevard County Game Log

Eric Marzec is coming out to start the game. Maybe they have a bug going around the Manatees? This leaves the question of what the Manatees are going to do with this staff? You have: Ortega, Salas, Woodruff, Wang, Marzec and a rehabbing Hellweg starting games. Now they bring in Cy Sneed. Who is going to start? Maybe Sneed piggy backs Hellweg while he's here? Garrett Cooper is now getting scratched in the 1st after batting in the top of the 1st. I assume this is a bug problem. Scratch that. Bradenton announcer was wrong. Cooper still in.

The big money teams almost all have 2 teams in the DSL while the Brewers are fielding about half a team of legitimate prospects. Maybe the new rules on international signings will help a little bit.

Wang Tosses Gem In Manatee Win By Jerry Durney / Brevard County Manatees 06/29/2015 10:33 PM ET http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/4/8/91801548/cuts/Wang_Wei_Chung_767idg1l_u1xre2jm.jpg Wei-Chung Wang, pictured here, threw a career-best 8 shutout innings in the Brevard County Manatees 4-2 win over the Bradenton Marauders on Monday night. Bradenton, FL- Wei-Chung Wang turned in his second excellent outing in a row, this time throwing a career-high eight shutout innings as the Brevard County Manatees (2-2, 31-42 overall) earned a 4-2 win over the Bradenton Marauders (3-2, 35-40 overall) on Monday night at McKechnie Field. The game's first five innings would be a duel between Wang and Marauders starting pitcher Luis Heredia. Heredia gave up just a one-out single in the top of the first inning until what would be the game's deciding frame in the top half of the sixth. The inning started with Angel Ortega reaching second base when Wyatt Mathisen's throw went into the stands. He then moved up 90 feet on an Omar Garcia groundout and then came into score on a Chris McFarland base hit to center. Heredia then threw wide of first on a pickoff attempt, which allowed McFarland to go to third. Michael Ratterree then brought him home on a sacrifice fly. Clint Coulter then followed with a double to center and would be brought home on a Garrett Cooper single. The Manatees added an insurance run for themselves in the top of the eighth inning against Marauders reliever Felipe Gonzalez. Garcia was the spark for the inning, reaching on a leadoff infield single, and then promptly stealing second and third for his 27th and 28th stolen bases of the season. Ratterree made sure the effort paid off with his second sacrifice fly of the game to give Brevard County a four-run advantage. Preston Gainey was given the responsibility of getting the game's final three outs in the bottom of the ninth, which started with some worry. Austin Meadows reached on an infield single and then moved to second on a wild pitch. Harold Ramirez followed with a triple to right, driving in the first Marauder run of the night. Gainey then struck out Erich Weiss and induced a sacrifice fly from Edwin Espinal. After a Reese McGuire singled, Gainey struck out Jin-De Jhang to end the game. Wang made the victory possible by throwing eight innings of five-hit shutout ball, striking out five and walking two for his fifth victory of the season. The eight innings pitched were a career-best for the left-hander, who has now thrown 15 and two-thirds consecutive innings without giving up a run. The Manatees will go for the series split in the finale on Tuesday as RHP Brandon Woodruff (1-4, 4.06 ERA) will get the ball against LHP Cody Dickson (6-5, 4.11 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. Brevard County Box Score This was actually supposed to be Eric Marzec's start but he has been sick during this series. Brevard County Game Log

Jacksonville put up a 10 spot in the 3rd. May want to miss this one. Viramontes now leaves with an injury after slipping in the mud.

Manatees drop 4-3 decision to Marauders in 11 innings June 28, 2015 3:31 PM MST http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/86/49/8649379eae0604e543dfde12c9a49240.JPG?itok=SpkVx-Vs Chris McFarland went 3-for-5 Sunday in the Manatees 4-3 loss at Bradenton Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography (used with permission) The Brevard County Manatees dropped their second consecutive game at McKechnie Field on Sunday, losing an 11 inning heartbreaker to the Bradenton Marauders, 4-3. A walk-off single by Harold Ramirez sealed the deal. Brevard County ace Jorge Ortega was not as sharp as usual, but he got through five innings and ended up with a no-decision. Things did not start well for the Manatees, who did not have a hit against Marauders starter Jayson Aquino through the first four innings on Sunday. Their only baserunner to that point was Taylor Brennan, who drew a walk in the second inning. Ortega, who has been dominant on the mound for the Manatees this season, ran into trouble in the second inning. He gave up a solo home run to Jin-De Jhang to give the Marauders a 1-0 lead. Edwin Espinal followed the Jhang blast with a single and moved to second one out later when Chris Diaz singled. A walk to JaCoby Jones loaded the bases. That free pass was the first that Ortega had allowed in 40.2 innings. Austin Meadows who had four hits in Saturday’s game, was next up. Ortega got him to fly out, ending the inning. Brevard County (1-2, 30-42) finally found some offense in the fifth inning. Aquino gave up his first hit of the game, a leadoff double to Jose Pena. After a wild pitch moved Pena to third, Rafael Neda doubled him home, tying the game at one. Chris McFarland’s RBI single later in the frame scored Neda and gave the Manatees a 2-1 lead. Ortega allowed a single in the bottom of the fifth but got through the inning and left with the lead after throwing 77 pitches, 55 for strikes. Sunday’s game marked the 11th start of the season for Ortega. He has not pitched less than five innings in any of his starts. The Manatees got Ortega another run in the sixth. A fielding error by third baseman Wyatt Mathisen to start the inning, allowed Clint Coulter to reach. With Garrett Cooper at the plate, Coulter stole second and came home two outs later on a single by Pena, giving the Manatees a 3-1 lead. Pena ended the day 2-for-4. Stephen Peterson came out of the bullpen for the Manatees and pitched a clean sixth and seventh inning, before running into trouble in the eighth. Pinch-hitter Justin Maffei drew a walk leading off the inning. Barrett Barnes, who homered in Saturday’s 7-4 win came through with another one on Sunday, tying the game, 3-3. Just like that, the Manatees lead was gone. Peterson finished the inning, but the damage was done. The Manatees threatened to go ahead in the top of the 10th inning. With one out, McFarland stroked a single to center and went to second on a throwing error by Barnes. Coulter grounded out, but moved McFarland to third in the process. Cooper followed with a ground out of his own and the Manatees came up empty. Mark Williams, who was on the mound to start the ninth for the Manatees, was still out there to start the 11th. He gave up a leadoff single to Barnes, who went to second on a passed ball. Erich Weiss then dropped down a good bunt that was not fielded by the Manatees at all and allowed Barnes to move to third. That brought Ramirez to the plate and he quickly ended it with a fly ball to center that would’ve scored the run even if Garcia caught it. He let it drop and Ramirez was credited with a walk-off single. Meadows, Barnes and Weiss all played key roles in that 11th inning and they all finished the game going 2-for-5 at the plate. The win guarantees the Marauders at least a split of this four-game series. McFarland led the Manatees with a 3-for-5 performance at the dish. It was his second consecutive 3-for-5 game. Game three of the series is scheduled for 6:30 on Monday. Eric Marzec (1-5, 4.08 ERA) will toe the rubber for the Manatees. Brevard County Box Score With Jorge Ortega not as sharp as usual after the All-Star break, he could only go 5 innings. Stephen Peterson came in and retired the first 6 hitters he faced. Then they tried to sneak him through a 3rd inning. After a leadoff walk, Peterson retired Austin Meadows bringing up Barrett Barnes, who had homered yesterday. Peterson has a .184 BAA vs left handers. However, he has .270 versus right handers which Barrett Barnes is. With Mark Williams ready in the bullpen, the Manatees stuck with Peterson who then gave up the game tying home run. Brevard County Game Log

Manatees in another rain delay.

Hellweg struggles in loss to Marauders June 27, 2015 7:52 PM MST http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/10/37/1037a7644f75cf20d86596bc19475adb.jpg?itok=o74y1d5T Johnny Hellweg only lasted 2.2 innings Saturday, allowing three earned runs in a 7-4 loss to Bradenton. Photo by Vincent Pugliese/Getty Images After getting their second half off to a good start with a win over Daytona on Friday, the Brevard County Manatees traveled to McKechnie Field in Bradenton to take on the Marauders on Saturday. Brevard County watched an early lead slip away and lost the game 7-4. Right-hander Johnny Hellweg made his fourth start of the season for the Manatees and was battling his control from the start. JaCoby Jones singled on a ball off Hellweg’s leg, to start the bottom of the first and came home on a double by Austin Meadows. Hellweg avoided further damage, but needed 21 pitches to get through the inning. The Manatees (1-1, 30-41) answered in the top of the second with three runs against Marauders hurler Tyler Eppler. Taylor Brennan saw eight pitches and was down in the count 0-2, before drawing a leadoff walk. Cameron Garfield and Jose Pena singled to load the bases, before Angel Ortega grounded to third and Wyatt Mathisen threw home to nab Brennan at the plate. Omar Garcia followed with a sacrifice fly, tying the game. Chris McFarland’s two-run single made it a 3-1 lead for the visitors. Bradenton got one run back in the bottom of the second when Mathisen, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, scored on a throwing error by Hellweg that would have ended the inning. Instead, it made it a 3-2 game. The Marauders would regain the lead in the bottom of the third on RBI doubles by Erich Weiss and Reese McGuire, making it 4-3. After a walk to Edwin Espinal, Manatees manager Joe Ayrault relieved Hellweg of his duties. He threw 63 pitches in this outing and suffered his second loss of the season. Tristan Archer came on to pitch and walked the first batter he faced, before getting the final out of the inning. Bradenton (2-1, 34-39) continued the onslaught in the bottom of the fourth, upping the lead to 6-3, on a two-run home run by Barrett Barnes, his fifth of the season. Meadows, who finished the game 4-for-5, scored ahead of Barnes on the long ball. Meadows scored three times in the game. McFarland, who went 3-for-5 on the night with an RBI, started the Manatees fifth with a single. After a walk to Michael Ratterree, Eppler got Clint Coulter on strikes and Garrett Cooper to fly out. Brennan though, would come through with an RBI single, to close the gap to 6-4. That’s as close as Brevard County would get. Bradenton added a run in the sixth on an RBI sac fly by Harold Ramirez, making it a three-run game. The Manatees would bring the tying run to the plate a couple times in the seventh, but were unable to push anything across. For more info: Brevard County @ Bradenton boxscore Miguel Rosario came on to record the final six outs and seal the victory. The series continues Sunday, with a 1:00 p.m. start at McKechnie Field. Brevard County Box Score Hellweg had very little control here although there were limited walks he was behind on nearly every hitter. He used 63 pitches to get through 2 2/3 innings. Tristan Archer was only slightly better using 54 pitches in three innings and being hit hard. Hellweg also had the throw into the stands in the 2nd inning on a routine comebacker that would have ended the inning. In the 3rd, while Angel Ortega went to 2nd for a pickoff attempt on the runner, Hellweg threw home and the hitter promptly hit the ball into the vacated area. He got a double on that hit which scored a run. Brevard County Game Log

Johnny Hellweg: IP H ER BB K 2.0 1 0 1 1 3.0 3 1 0 3 2.1 3 6 3 2 2.2 5 3 1 2 I really don't think he's progressing. Don't be surprised if there is a DL stint soon. Today's performance was worse than the box score will indicate. Unfortunately, the Bradenton announcer didn't give velocity so I can't vouch for what that was.

Manatees Show Resolve In 9-5Win 5-run 7th inning earns Manatees 1st 2nd half victory By Jerry Durney / Brevard County Manatees 06/27/2015 1:01 AM ET http://www.milb.com/assets/images/1/9/8/131575198/cuts/Brennan_3_j2quqccs_x7k3c19f.JPG Taylor Brennan, seen here, hit the go-ahead double in the 7th inning of the Manatees 9-5 win Friday night (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) Viera, FL- The Brevard County Manatees (1-0, 30-40 overall) got their second half of the season off on the right foot Friday night coming back multiple times in a 9-5 victory over the Daytona Tortugas (0-1, 37-34 overall). After the start of the game was delayed for one hour and 24 minutes due to wet field conditions, the Tortugas jumped out to a quick lead against Manatees starting pitcher Javi Salas in the top of the first. Phillip Ervin and Alex Blandino each singled to start the game. After Robert Ramirez flew out, Chad Wallach hit a potential double play ball towards the third but Taylor Brennan misplayed it to load the bases for Taylor Sparks. Sparks promptly ripped a base hit down the right field line to score Ervin and Blandino to put the 'Tugas in front. Salas recovered to retire Jeff Gelalich and Jon Matthews. Daytona continued to tack on the top of the third as Ramirez worked a one-out walk after being down 0-2 in the count. After Wallach struck out, Sparks would inflict damage once again, this time with a double to left, bringing Ramirez all the way around to make it 3-0. The 'Tees would mount their first comeback of the night in the bottom of the inning. Omar Garcia lit the fuse with a bunt up the first base line that Tortugas starting pitcher Nick Routt could not field in time. Chris McFarland then followed with a flare to left that fell just out of the reach of a sliding Blandino. Following a walk to Michael Ratterree, the bases were loaded for Clint Coulter, who brought home the first Manatee run with a bloop to left of his own as the Manatees played it station to station. Garrett Cooper then laced a base hit to right to score McFarland. After Brennan struck out, Cameron Garfield came to the plate looking to keep the rally going. He would hit a ball back up the middle that Blandino snared on a sliding backhand but with the runners going on a full count with two outs, both Ratterree and Coulter scored to give the Manatees the lead. The inning came to close shortly after that as Jose Pena popped out to first. That lead would hold until the top of the sixth as the always dangerous Tortuga lineup came to life with the some help from the Manatees. Chad Wallach reached on a rare four-pitch walk by Salas and then moved up to second on a single by Sparks. However, with Gelalich at the plate, Wallach moved just a little too far off of second base and Garfield's snap throw to McFarland got him, the second straight inning where Garfield had picked off a runner. That sparkling play would be only a temporary relief as Salas walked Gelalich. Tyler Spurlin would come on in relief and immediately coaxed a would-be double play ball from Jon Matthews towards the second base bag but instead went through the legs of McFarland and into center field, bringing in Sparks to tie the game. Carlton Daal followed with a single to center that Garcia overran, scoring Gelalich and moving Matthews to third. Spurlin would keep the deficit there as Julio Morillo's grounder to first allowed Cooper to throw home and get Matthews, followed by a groundout to third by Ervin. The deciding moment in the game would come in the bottom of the seventh as new Tortugas reliever El'Hajj Muhammad walked McFarland, Ratterree and Coulter to start the inning. Cooper would draw Brevard County level once again with a base hit to right. 'Tugas manager Eli Marrero then called on normally reliable left-hander Joel Bender to try to stop the bleeding but Brennan immediately greeted him with a double to right center, scoring Ratterree and Coulter to break the tie. After Garfield struck out, Pena doubled to the wall in left center to plate Cooper and Brennan to cap a five-run rally and put the Manatees in front for good. Spurlin got an around the horn double play to erase a one-out single by Daal in the eighth and Preston Gainey recorded a perfect ninth inning. In his first start since appearing in the Florida State League All-Star Game last Saturday, Salas gave up five runs, four of them earned, on six hits while striking out two and walking three in five and one-third innings of work. Offensively, Coulter and Cooper each logged multi-hit games while Brennan, Cooper, Garfield and Pena had multi-RBI games. The Manatees begin a seven-game road trip on Saturday in Bradenton against the Marauders. RHP Johnny Hellweg (0-1, 8.59 ERA) gets the start in game one of the four-game series against RHP Tyler Eppler (0-1, 6.43 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. Brevard County Box Score The Tortugas are coming off a horrendous fold to end the first half of the season. They had a 5 game lead with 6 to play and ended up in a tie with Clearwater after losing their last 7, including a first half ending 4 game sweep by the Northern division champion Clearwater. Clearwater won on head-to-head wins. Routt is a new starter for the Tortugas, taking over for the promoted former Brewer, Barrett Astin. Neither team was sharp in this game. Brevard County Game Log Brevard County Bottom of the 7th: the decisive inning Pitching Change: El'Hajj Muhammad replaces Scott Brattvet. Christopher McFarland walks. Michael Ratterree walks. Christopher McFarland to 2nd. Clint Coulter walks. Christopher McFarland to 3rd. Michael Ratterree to 2nd. Garrett Cooper singles on a line drive to right fielder Jon Matthews. Christopher McFarland scores. Michael Ratterree to 3rd. Clint Coulter to 2nd. Pitching Change: Joel Bender replaces El'Hajj Muhammad. Taylor Brennan doubles (12) on a fly ball to right fielder Jon Matthews. Michael Ratterree scores. Clint Coulter scores. Garrett Cooper to 3rd. Cameron Garfield strikes out swinging. Jose Pena doubles (3) on a fly ball to center fielder Junior Felix Arias. Garrett Cooper scores. Taylor Brennan scores. Angel Ortega flies out to right fielder Jon Matthews. Omar Garcia grounds out, pitcher Joel Bender to first baseman Chad Wallach.

Manatees will begin in a rain delay again.

Mid Season stats for the lazy (rank in the FSL): OBP: 11) Garrett Cooper .356 18) Clint Coulter .347 SLG 3) Victor Roache (now gone to Biloxi) .448 5) Clint Coulter .443 21) Garrett Cooper .390 Batting Average 12) Garrett Cooper .282 18) Chris McFarland .277 OPS 7) Clint Coulter . 9) Victor Roache Walks 1) (Ta da!) Taylor Brennan 36 9) Clint Coulter 29 ERA 3) Jorge Ortega 1.78 9) Javi Salas 2.41 8) Barrett Astin (just rubbing it in) WHIP 1) (Ta da!) Jorge Ortega 0.82 10) Javi Salas 1.14 Innings Pitched 1) Jorge Ortega 76.0 4) Javi Salas 74.2 12) Brandon Woodruff 71.0 20) Wei-Chunge Wang 68.1 Really dominate that stat. Not sure if it's good or bad though.

Brevard County rained out Daytona Beach, Fla- The scheduled game on Thursday, June 25 between the Brevard County Manatees and the Daytona Tortugas at Radiology Associates Field has been postponed due to inclement weather. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader when the Manatees make their next trip to Daytona Beach on August 17th. The Manatees return to action tomorrow night at Space Coast Stadium against the Tortugas. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 P.M. For more information on the Brevard County Manatees, call (321) 633-9200 or go online to ManateesBaseball.com. Also, don't forget to like the Manatees on Facebook and follow the Manatees both on Twitter and Instagram. -- Dave Walkovic Director of Broadcasting Brevard County Manatees Advanced-A, Milwaukee Brewers

Lakeland Walks-Off Against Brevard County For Second Straight Game Flying Tigers Beat Manatees, 1-0 By Dave Walkovic / Brevard County Manatees 06/25/2015 12:12 AM ET http://www.milb.com/assets/images/5/8/0/123834580/cuts/IMG_3296_bady9xrs_2hvkjajs.JPG Garrett Cooper, seen above, had two hits in Wednesday's loss. (Dennis Greenblatt/Hawk-Eye Sports Photography) Lakeland, Fla. - Dominic Ficociello delivered with a walk-off for the second straight game as the Lakeland Flying Tigers (33-36) defeated the Brevard County Manatees (29-40) 1-0 in game one of Wednesday's doubleheader at Joker Marchant Stadium. With the game tied at zero heading into the bottom of the tenth, David Gonzalez reached on a single to left field. Jiwan James then reached on a throwing error by pitcher Stephen Peterson (2-2, 2.29 ERA) who tried to get the lead runner on a bunt attempt. Raph Rhymes sacrificed the runners over the second and third. With one out, the Manatees elected to intentionally walk Javier Bentancourt. Ficociello then drove a ball to deep right field that was tracked down by Clint Coulter. Gonzalez scored on the sacrifice fly to win the game for Lakeland. Brevard County starter Wei-Chung Wang tossed 7.2 shutout innings in a no-decision. He surrendered just four hits and two walks. Wang struck out two. Slade Smith (1-0, 0.00 ERA) earned the win with three scoreless relief innings. He allowed just one hit. Garrett Cooper went 2-for-4 with a double in the loss. Brevard County recorded just four hits in the game. Brevard County Box Score Game 1 Wei-Chung Wang with a badly needed great start. Not much hitting. Garrett Cooper had half the hits including his 20th double of the season. Only 1 home run though. Really nothing against Jonathan Maciel but he's not having much of a year and the Manatees have hit him hard in previous games. Yes, in evaluating these FSL players it's probably important to compare them to other players in the league. Coulter is still near the lead in several offensive categories, for example. Brevard County Game Log Game 1 Brevard County Box Score Game 2 Game two ends in an 8 inning tie. Nice of Garrett Cooper after I pointed out he only had one home run, gets his second in the nightcap. Taylor Brennan with two hits. Brandon Woodruff and Kaleb Earls pitched well here also. Game Log Game 2

The Manatees have the worst record in the FSL by 1 1/2 games over Bradenton (Pirates). Maybe they're not awful but they're not good either.

Lakeland Walks-Off Against Brevard County In Game Two, 4-3 Flying Tigers Sweep Manatees in Doubleheader By Dave Walkovic / Brevard County Manatees 06/22/2015 10:51 PM ET Lakeland, Fla. - Dominic Ficociello delivered with a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Lakeland Flying Tigers (32-36) defeated the Brevard County Manatees (29-39) 4-3 in game two of Monday's doubleheader at Joker Marchant Stadium. With the game tied at three in the seventh, Tyler Hanover hit a triple to left field against Mark Williams (0-2, 1.69 ERA) with no outs. After a pop out, Ficociello singled to right field to score Hanover and win the game. The Flying Tigers originally took the lead in the bottom of the first inning against Eric Marzec. With two outs, Javier Bentancourt hit a solo home run to left field to open the scoring. It was Bentancourt's second homer of the year. Brevard County responded immediately. Michael Ratterree led off the second inning with a walk. Taylor Brennan then singled to put runners on the corners. Rafael Neda stepped up and clobbered a two-run triple to give the Manatees a 2-1 lead. Lakeland tied the game in the third on an RBI single by Francisco Martinez. The Flying Tigers then took the lead on a solo home run from Tim Remes in the bottom of the fourth inning. It was Remes' first home run of the season. Trailing 3-2 in the sixth, Brevard County was able to tie the game. Brennan, Neda and Angel Ortega singled consecutively. Ortega's RBI single scored Brennan and tied the game at three. Marzec did not factor into the decision. He surrendered three runs on eight hits and three walks. He struck out one. Paul Voelker (3-0, 1.80 ERA) was credited with the win in relief. He allowed one run on three hits in two innings. The Manatees and Flying Tigers will continue the series tomorrow night. LHP Wei-Chung Wang (4-2, 5.93 ERA) is scheduled to start for Brevard County. RHP Jonathan Maciel (2-6, 6.47 ERA) will toe the rubber for Lakeland. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Brevard County Box Score Game 2 Clint Coulter 1-2 with two walks so he was on base 5 times in the double header. He also stole a base and was caught stealing once. Taylor Brennan 2-2 with a walk and Rafael Neda was 3-3. Garrett Cooper now in a slump was 0-4 in this game. Brevard County Game Log Game 2

Flying Tigers Blank Manatees In Game One, 6-0 Brevard County Held To Just Two Hits By Dave Walkovic / Brevard County Manatees 06/22/2015 8:33 PM ET Lakeland, Fla. - Brennan Smith and Julio Felix combined to toss a two-hit shutout as the Lakeland Flying Tigers (31-36) defeated the Brevard County Manatees (29-38) 6-0 in game one of Monday's doubleheader at Joker Marchant Stadium. Smith (3-0, 1.74 ERA) surrendered just one hit over five shutout innings. He walked one and fanned six. The lone hit Smith surrendered was a one-out double by Taylor Brennan in the top of the fifth. Lakeland opened the scoring in the bottom of the second against Johnny Hellweg. With one out, Ben Verlander drew a walk. Francisco Martinez then drilled a two-run home run to left field. It was Martinez's fifth homer of the year and gave the Flying Tigers a 2-0 lead. The Flying Tigers tacked on four more runs in the third. Jiwan James led off the frame with a walk. Two batters later, Javier Bentancourt singled to put runners on first and second. Dominic Ficociello then reached on an infield single to short. Angel Ortega also committed a throwing error on the play. James scored, Bentancourt moved to third and Ficociello moved to second. Ben Verlander walked to load the bases and to end Hellweg's evening. Tristan Archer was summoned from the bullpen. The first man he faced, Martinez, drilled a bases-clearing double to make it 6-0, Lakeland. Felix pitched the final two innings and allowed just one hit. He struck out two. Hellweg (0-1, 8.59 ERA) was hit with the loss. He allowed six runs on three hits and three walks in 2.2 innings pitched. Archer did not allow a run on six hits in 3.2 frames. He struck out four. Brevard County Box Score Game 1 Clint Coulter had a single and a walk in 3 at bats. Taylor Brennan had a double. That's about it. Brevard County Game Log Game 1

Washington Post story on UVa says they are undecided on whether to start Kirby again. If he does start, he will be on a 45-60 pitch limit.

Crabs extend dominance to All-Star Game Bauers named MVP after two-run double, Faria tosses perfect inning By Erin Brown / Special to MiLB.com 06/20/2015 11:12 PM ET http://www.milb.com/assets/images/2/7/4/131991274/cuts/bauers960_d1qqy02m_w8c12ki6.jpg Jake Bauers is presented with his Top Star Award by Florida State League president Ken Carson. (Mark LoMoglio/MiLB.com) PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- The Charlotte Stone Crabs carried their dominance into the All-Star break and into the Florida State League All-Star Game itself. Sparked by first baseman Jacob Bauers, starting pitcher Jacob Faria and a collective dominance on the mound, the South Division All-Stars cruised to a 6-0 blanking of the North All-Stars on Saturday night at Tradition Field. Bauers, acquired by the Rays in the three-team trade that sent Wil Myers to the Padres, earned MVP honors after opening the scoring with a two-run double. Faria, who leads the league with 10 wins and a 1.33 ERA, started for the South and struck out two in a perfect inning. The 11-man South pitching staff limited the North to six hits -- two through the first six innings -- and struck out eight. Stone Crabs southpaw Chris Kirsch worked around a walk in a hitless third to pick up the victory. "Just like any other game, you want to get a good tone going for the rest of the game," Faria said. Bauers -- Tampa Bay's No. 21 prospect -- put the South in front for good when he followed a single by Jupiter's Yefri Perez and a walk by Rays No. 3 prospect Willy Adames with a double to left field. "The pitchers were great tonight," Bauers said. "I thought one run was going to get the job done, and it ended up being enough." The 19-year-old also contributed defensively with a big scoop in the third. Hammerheads third baseman Brian Anderson fielded a high infield chopper off the bat of Brevard County's Chris McFarland and Bauers handled the off-balance throw for the out. The South extended its lead with a four-run outburst in the fifth. St. Lucie's Jeff McNeil and Ft. Myers' Alex Swim hit back-to-back singles before Bradenton's JaCoby Jones -- the Pirates' 13th-ranked prospect lined a triple to right. "It was my first at-bat, so I was excited to get in the game," said Jones, who batted for Adames. "It was a 2-0 count and [Luis Alberto Niebla] just put a fastball over the plate. Luckily, it went into the gap and two runners scored." Jones trotted home on a base hit by Marauders teammate Reese McGuire to make it 5-0. Two outs later, Palm Beach's Luke Voit singled home McGuire. "We definitely strung together some good at-bats," Bauers said. "The guys got some good barrels and they ended up finding holes. Sometimes that's all you need." Lakeland's Ben Verlander got the North's first hit in the second and finished 2-for-4. But aside from a leadoff walk by Tigers No. 26 prospect Dominic Ficociello in the third, the North struggled to get men on base. Tampa Yankees third baseman Miguel Andujar, grounded into a double play, beginning a string of eight straight batters retired by the South. Until Verlander and Tampa's Mike Ford hit back-to-back singles in the seventh, the North did not get a runner past second base. "I'm surprised because it's the All-Star Game and they've got a lot of good [hitters] over there," Faria said. "Kudos to our guys to keep them off the basepaths." Clearwater's Colin Klevin took the loss after allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while recording two outs in the third. Threshers teammate Ulises Joaquin, Brevard County's Preston Gainey and Dunedin's Wil Browning registered two strikeouts apiece over the final 2 1/3 innings. FSL All-Star Box Score Chris McFarland 0-2, Clint Coulter 0-4 Jorge Ortega and Javi Salas worked a scoreless inning apiece. Preston Gainey worked 2/3 inning with 2 K's, no runs. FSL All-Star GAme Log Manatees are off Sunday and have a double header at Lakeland on Monday. No audio for that series.

Maryvale roster now updated. Lara is listed on the roster. That's a loaded outfield with Trent Clark, Yerald Martinez, Demi Orimoloye, Nicolas Pierre and Joantangel Segovia.

Interesting that they are batting Milan Post in the 5 spot. He didn't hit much last year in limited at bats. It would be good if MT Brew, or someone else could give us a report on him. Catcher out of the Netherlands is an intriguing player.

xisxisxis-- Agree with 1. If somebody wants to try that welcome to it. 2) No. He's competing against other GM's not random people. I'm saying the Brewers have to hire another GM when Melvin goes. What's the likelihood that the new GM will be better? They're not getting the talent in St. Louis, Oakland or Atlanta. They tried one of the stringers on with Taylor and it didn't work out. You could say you're tired and just want to roll the dice and see if it gets better, I guess that's valid. It probably won't work though because it is hard to win in a small market consistently. I tried to show in a previous post that other Brewer GM's have not been better than Melvin except maybe Dalton, who I think did a lot of the things Melvin is criticised for. In any case, Melvin will be out probably sooner than later just for age. Maybe he's kicked upstairs and just does administrative stuff.

Since I'm retired and I have nothing in particular to do this morning, I did a regression of revenues from the Forbes' table above on wins during the Melvin era. You end up with 841 + 0.63*Revenues. Yes, market size does matter. Melvin has won exactly 3 games less than you would have expected based on the Brewers' 2015 revenues. Now revenues were not always the same over that period so that's a factor you have to look at. Who is really doing good and bad? Good. Cardinals lead with 96 more wins than you would have expected based on revenues. Oakland has 88 and the Braves 80. Look, a list of the teams that most people think are well managed. Bad. Royals are the worst. 96 less wins than forecasted by revenues. Second Pirates with 78 less. Then the Mariners at 70. So anyway, Melvin, by this measure, is an average GM. This is about what I thought. When he is replaced, the Brewers are probably just as likely to get a worse GM as a better one.